Chinese at the Goldfields Australian Goldrush

At the time that news about the Australian goldrush reached China in 1853, the country had been suffering from years of war and famine. In order to raise money for the fare to Australia, a man would take a loan from a local trader, agreeing to make regular repayments. His wife and children stayed behind, and worked for the trader if the man was unable to repay the money he had borrowed. To reach Melbourne, it was a journey of several months by ship in cramped conditions.

There was ignorance about Chinese customs and culture, and the Chinese seemed very strange and different to the western diggers. Other miners at the diggings were suspicious of them and resentful of their methods of mining because they were more successful than the European miners. The appearance of the Chinese, with their pigtails and unfamiliar clothes, their habit of going barefoot and of carrying loads balanced from two  bamboo poles, their religion, all made them the target of a great deal of racism and prejudice.

When the Chinese arrived at the goldfields, they stayed together in large teams with a head man in charge. Groups were allocated duties such as mining, cooking, growing vegetables for the team. Much of the alluvial gold was running out and the Chinese miners re-worked claims that had been abandoned and collected gold that had been missed. They preferred not to go deep underground for fear of offending the mountain gods.

The resentment of European miners grew and a Royal Commission looked at the issues. The result was the “White Australia Policy.” A perfect example of what we would now call racist. Chinese miners rarely competed directly with other miners, nevertheless, resentment against them was common among other miners. Anti-Chinese feeling sometimes culminated in riots. At Buckland River, European diggers destroyed 750 Chinese-owned tents, stole gold and drove Chinese miners from the field, killing some in the process.

They were accused by the diggers of acting provocatively by wasting water needed for mining, living in isolated communities and sending most of their gold back to China. In Victoria, the Chinese were forced to pay a 'landing tax' of £10 and a fee of £1 per annum under the Chinese Protectorate system which forced them to live in separate villages in an effort to stem potential violence.

No one entering Victoria from any other country had to pay this tax No one entering Victoria from any other country had to pay this tax. However, this did not reduce the numbers of Chinese. They landed in South Australia and walked several hundred kilometres to reach the Victorian goldfields. Along with the persecution of native Aboriginal people, the treatment of Chinese gold prospectors presented a clear example of the attitudes and beliefs of the time. People of non-European descent were considered to be inferior and were treated accordingly.

Up here, all of us and our jurymen, are looking forward with great pleasure to the prospect of a good Chinese hunting season. Under the proposed new law, the sport will gain extra publicity by being carried on with official patronage, merely by sufferance. I send you an anticipatory sketch by a local artist. – An extract from a private letter from a government official.

In New South Wales, antagonism erupted into open conflict In New South Wales, antagonism erupted into open conflict. At Lambing Flat, now Young, in 1860 and 1861, there were riots in which the Chinese became the target for the diggers' hostility. On both occasions, the Chinese were humiliated and forced from the goldfields. Those who were affected by the riots petitioned the Government for damages, but were unsuccessful.

Some Chinese returned home after the gold rush, but many stayed here Some Chinese returned home after the gold rush, but many stayed here. They found jobs, set up market gardens, restaurants or laundries. They brought their families to Australia. Gradually the Chinese became a respected group in Australian society.

Quiz Time 1. The Chinese caused the violence on the goldfields. True or False? All migrants, during the goldrush, were charged an entry fee (landing tax) to Victoria. True or False? 3. Who did the Chinese borrow money from for the ship fare to Australia? 4. At Buckland River, how many Chinese tents were destroyed by European diggers? 5. What did the Chinese do to avoid paying the landing tax?

Quiz Time Answers 1. The Chinese caused the violence on the goldfields. False All migrants, during the goldrush, were charged an entry fee (landing tax) to Victoria. False Who did the Chinese borrow money from for the ship fare to Australia? Local Traders At Buckland River, how many Chinese tents were destroyed by European diggers? 750 What did the Chinese do to avoid paying the landing tax in Victoria? They landed in South Australia and walked several hundred kilometres to reach the Victorian goldfields.